Carton

ABSTRACT

A hinged cover lockable carton is disclosed to have a reversely tucked locking tongue on a closure flap of the cover for engagement behind a keeper wall at the front of the carton. The carton is also disclosed as a pre-assembled structure collapsed for ease of packing, storage and shipment and designed for rapid set-up for filling and secure closing.

United States Patent [191 Bock Jan. 21, 1975 CARTON 2,794,588 6/1957 George 229/45 3,078,031 2/1963 Kauffeld l 229/45 X [76] Invent Robe" 8171/2 Ave-4 3,504,843 4 1970- McCrea 229/45 North, Seattle, Wash. 98109 22] i AP 1 1973 Primary Examiner-Edward J. McCarthy [21] Appl. No.: 351,498 [57] ABSTRACT A hinged cover lockable carton is disclosed to have a [52] US. Cl. 229/45, 229/41 B reversely tucked locking tongue on a closure flap of [51] Int. Cl 865d 45/00 the cover for engagement behind a keeper wall at the [58] Field of Search 229/45, 44 R, 44 CB, 41 B front of the carton. The carton is also disclosed as a pre-assembled structure collapsed for ease of packing, [56] References Cited storage and shipment and designed for rapid set-up for UNITED STATES PATENTS filling and secure closing.

2,777,629 1/1957 Osteen 2 29/45 X 5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures CARTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the field of cartons there is real need for a structure that is easy to blank and pre-assemble and collapsed for transit from a carton manufacturing plant to a remote point of use. Also there is need for a lockable carton in which the locking means can be economically supplied and easily engaged and locked to provide,

when closed, a container which does not accidentally open and is substantially tamper-proof under ordinary circumstances, and which when once opened may be easily and securely closed.

Prior containers inthis general field are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,100,644 (Groves), 3,023,945 (Layne), 3,291,367 (Carter) and 3,543,995 (Wilson). While such patents show structures tending to provide solutions to some of the problems which thisinvention is directed, they do not solve all the problems. It is therefore a prime object of this invention to provide a lockable carton which lends itself well to economic manufacture, machine pre-assembly, to collapse for compactness, ready erection for filling, and rapid and efficient closing of the cover and its locking in a secure and positive manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I This invention provides, in a cardboard container or carton a lower rectangular box portion framed by walls upstanding at the periphery of a rectangular, an improved cover panel, hinged along an upper edge of one of said walls designated to rear wall, having lock means cooperable with a keeper wall mounted against the external face of the opposite or front wall. The keeper wall is detached at its lower edge from said front wall. The cover panel has a front lock flap that covers the keeper wall when the carton is closed and includes a lock tongue that tucks behind the keeper wall. In the preferred embodiment the lock tongue is divided by a score line into an entrant and an intermediate portion. Said portions are so proportioned that when the entrant portion is initially tucked behind the keeper wall an angular relationship is established whereby continued normal pressure on the lock tongue results in easy and secure tucking of the whole locking tongue behind the keeper flap. The carton as blanked and scored is provided with fold lines intermediate the side and bottom wall of the carton so that, when folding and gluing preassembly operation are completed the carton is collapsed to a very thin, easily stored and handled condition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton blank from which cartons of this invention are derived;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a partially assembled and a partially erected carton respectively;

FIG. 4 shows a preassembled carton collapsed for compactness;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an assembled, closed and locked carton;

FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show stepwise and sequentially the carton closing and locking operation in the plane 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical section of the front wall of a carton in the plane l0-l0 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a vertical section illustrating an alternative keeper wall construction; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a carton according to FIG. 11 in closed and locked assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 is shown a blank, cut in conventional manner, from sheet stock, e.g. cardboard and like materials. The blank which forms into rectangular box includes rectangular bottom panel 10, a rear or first wall 12, the opposite front wall 14, end walls 16 and 18. When walls 12, l4, l6 and 18 are arranged to upstand around bottom panel 10 a rectangular enclosure or box portion is provided. Each end wall 16 and 18 has a margin flap 20 which, when the box is being assembled instand as shown in FIG. 2 to be joined by .adhesive patches 22 to the front wall 14. Front wall 14 has cor ner notches 24 which, when wall 14 is upright, expose adhesive patches 26 upwardly located on flaps 20 as can be seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Bottom panel 10 is locked to end walls 16 and 18 by means of tongues 28, 28 which fold upward outside the lower areas of end walls 16,18 and are inserted into slits 30,30. Preferably each end wall l6, 18 has an infolding flap 32.

Rear wall 12 has attached the cover or closure panel 34, substantially coextensive with panel 10, which overlies the space enclosed by upright walls 10, 14, 16 and 18, and the end wall flaps 32, 32. Front wall 14, in the preferred embodiment, includes keeper wall 36 which when downfolded and externally juxtaposed to front wall 14 has ends 38, 38 which cover notches 24, 24 and attach or are secured by the exposed adhesive patches 26 on flaps 20. By'forming the central free edge of keeper flap wider than the ends 38, 38 there is provided a flexible tongue whose function will be later described.

Cover panel 34 has on its free edge lock flap 42 which includes lock tongue 44 hingedly joined thereto by fold line 45. Tongue 44 is divided by line score 48 into an entrant portion 50 and intermediate portion 52. In the preferred form the width of tongue 44 is less than the width of lock flap 42. The width of intermediate portion 52 is such that when entrant portion is introduced behind keeper flap 36 and score line 48 is disposed substantially adjacent the lower edge of keeper wall 40, the angular relation of said intermediate portion 52 to keeper flap 40 is greater than a right angle as particularly depicted in FIG. 8.

The operation of tucking tongue 44 to secure lock flap 42 and, hence, cover panel 34 in closing relation to the box portion is peculiarly facilitated by the size relations described and the two-part construction of tongue 44. This tucking operation is illustrated in a series of positions shown in FIGS. 6-9. As the cover panel 34 is brought to closing position with tongue 44 in depending position (FIG. 6) the entrant portion 50 is first introduced behind keeper wall 36 (FIG. 7) and pressed upward until line score 46 and the adjacent portion of intermediate section 52 is disposed substantially adjacent the lower edge of keeper wall 36. In this arrangement the angle A between wall 36 and section 52 is desireably greater than a right angle, i.e. it is slightly obtuse. When pressure is applied inward on lock flap 42 adjacent fold line 46 both portions of tongue 44 easily slip up behind keeper wall 36, tending to straighten out as shown in FIG. 9.

When the flexible tongue 40 is provided on the lower edge of keeper wall 36 and its ends are unattached (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the introduction of entrant portion 50 and the entry of intermediate portion 52 tend to flex tongue 40 and to ease and expedite the tucking operation and to aid in quickly and simply bringing lock flap 42 into overlying juxtaposition to keeper wall 36 as shown in FIG. 9.

The alternative form of the invention shown in FIGS.

l and 11 operate very similarly to that described above. The keeper wall 60, instead of being a folded over part of front wall 14, is strap-like and has an end tab 62 folded around corner 64 and there secured by adhesive means to wall 16 or 18. In this form the upper edge 61 of keeper wall 60 is unattached to the upper edge of front wall 14. This somewhat enhances flexure outward of wall 60 during tucking of tongue 44. It is particularly useful in the production of small sized boxes such as would be suitable for 2 X 2 inch photographic slides.

It has also been observed that with closed cartons or boxes the tongue 40 tends to prevent accidental opening or withdrawal of lock tongue 44 since it exerts considerable frictional force on the inner surface of, particularly, intermediate portion 52. This greater force develops, it appears, because the flexed tongue 40 tends to conform to the inner surface of portion 52.

By omitting tongue 40 there is single line contact with the lower edge of wall 36 and withdrawal of lock tongue 44 is somewhat easier.

In FIG. 4, where an assembled and glued but collapsed carton or container is shown, it will be observed that medial fold scores 11 in bottom 10, scores 17 in end walls 16, 18, scores 33 in flaps 32 and scores 29 in tongues 28 come into play. These scores permit each of the related parts to fold upon themselves permitting the front wall 14 to collapse onto rear wall 12. Fold line 45 permits in the collapsed carton flap 42 and tongue 44 to overlie cover panel 34.

This invention provides an improved carton or container having an exteriorly accessible, easily tuckable locking feature which is simple to construct, very easy to rapidly close and open, and which is very secure in the closed condition. The locking function is provided by the downwardly extending keeper wall, attached or unattached, at the upper face of the front wall and the mating or tucking engagement therebehind of the lock tongue on the overlying lock flap. This arrangement places the active member when opening of a closed carton is desired in a central position of the front wall where it is not subject to accidental unlocking as in the case of the lock means located at, for example, upper corners of prior containers.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the preferred and alternative forms of the invention shown are merely exemplary and that to meet varying size requirements proportions of the parts will necessarily need to be changed. Other modifications will readily .occur to artisans in ther pertinent field. All such as fall within the spirit of this invention and within the reason able scope thereof as set forth in the claims is intended to be covered by this patent.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cardboard container of the type comprising a lower rectangular box portion framed by walls upstanding at the periphery of a rectangular bottom panel. said box portion being provided with a cover panel hinged along the upper edge of the rear wall thereof.

a downwardly extending keeper wall along the upper external face of the front wall of said box portion, opposite said rear wall;

said keeper wall being narrower than said front wall and fixedly secured at its opposite ends to permanently lie against the upper external face of said front wall;

a lock flap hingedly joined to the cover panel and located to depend in outward juxtaposition to said keeper wall, said keeper wall being narrower than said lock flap;

a lock tongue hinged to the lower edge of said lock flap;

said lock tongue being narrower than said lock llap and being line scored parallel to its hinged connection to said lock flap to divide the same into an entrant portion and an intermediate portion;

the width of said intermediate portion between said lock flap and said entrant portion being such that when said entrant portion is introduced behind the lower edge of said keeper wall and the score line between the entrant portion and the intermediate portion is disposed substantially adjacent to said keeper wall lower edge, the angular relation of said intermediate portion to said flap is greater than a right angle.

2. The container structure of claim I in which the downwardly extending keeper wall is joined along its upper edge to the upper edge of said front wall of said rectangular box portion.

3. The container structure of claim 1 in which the keeper wall is unattached at its upper edge to the upper edge of said front wall of the rectangular box portion.

4. The container structure of claim 2 in which there is an outwardly flexible tongue on the lower edge of said keeper wall.

5. The container structure of claim 3 in which there is an outwardly flexible tongue on the lower edge of said keeper wall.

* k t it: 

1. In a cardboard container of the type comprising a lower rectangular box portion framed by walls upstanding at the periphery of a rectangular bottom panel, said box portion being provided with a cover panel hinged along the upper edge of the rear wall thereof, a downwardly extending keeper wall along the upper external face of the front wall of said box portion, opposite said rear wall; said keeper wall being narrower than said front wall and fixedly secured at its opposite ends to permanently lie against the upper external face of said front wall; a lock flap hingedly joined to the cover panel and located to depend in outward juxtaposition to said keeper wall, said keeper wall being narrower than said lock flap; a lock tongue hinged to the lower edge of said lock flap; said lock tongue being narrower than said lock flap and being line scored parallel to its hinged connection to said lock flap to divide the same into an entrant portion and an intermediate portion; the width of said intermediate portion between said lock flap and said entrant portion being such that when said entrant portion is introduced behind the lower edge of said keeper wall and the score line between the entrant portion and the intermediate portion is disposed substantially adjacent to said keeper wall lower edge, the angular relation of said intermediate portion to said flap is greater than a right angle.
 2. The container structure of claim 1 in whicH the downwardly extending keeper wall is joined along its upper edge to the upper edge of said front wall of said rectangular box portion.
 3. The container structure of claim 1 in which the keeper wall is unattached at its upper edge to the upper edge of said front wall of the rectangular box portion.
 4. The container structure of claim 2 in which there is an outwardly flexible tongue on the lower edge of said keeper wall.
 5. The container structure of claim 3 in which there is an outwardly flexible tongue on the lower edge of said keeper wall. 